Kiwi Vili claims gold in shot put

Vili shows her delight after winning gold in Beijing

Valerie Vili won the women's shot put to claim New Zealand's first Olympic track and field gold medal since 1976.

The 23-year-old reigning world outdoor and indoor champion, whose father is Scottish, clinched victory in Beijing with a best throw of 20.56m.

Belorussians Natallia Mikhnevich (20.28m) and Nadzeya Ostapchuk (19.86m) won silver and bronze respectively.

John Walker's victory in the 1500m at Montreal was New Zealand's last Olympic track and field gold medal.

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Video - Vili wins shot put for New Zealand

"I wanted to put the pressure on from the start and I could do that with the first round throw," said Vili. "I was really happy to get a personal best.

"It was an amazing feeling. It was a very long, exciting and nerve-racking competition because you can never put your guard down with the Belarussians up against you.

Vili watched nervously as Mikhenevich performed her deciding final throw but the Belarussian could manage only 20.10m.

"I went to hug my sister and niece. I was so happy to share the experience with them," said Vili, who is married to New Zealand discus thrower Bertrand Vili.

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Athletics medals table

Sunday, 24 August 2008 10:17 UK

Rank	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	TOTAL
1	also show each event results forUSA	7	9	7	23
Men's 100m		0	0	1
Men's 110m Hurdles		0	1	1
Men's 200m		0	1	1
Men's 400m		1	1	1
Men's 400m Hurdles		1	1	1
Men's 4 x 400m Relay		1	0	0
Men's Decathlon		1	0	0
Men's Shot Put		0	1	0
Women's 10000m		0	0	1
Women's 100m Hurdles		1	0	0
Women's 200m		0	1	0
Women's 400m		0	0	1
Women's 400m Hurdles		0	1	0
Women's 4 x 400m Relay		1	0	0
Women's Discus Throw		1	0	0
Women's Heptathlon		0	1	0
Women's Pole Vault		0	1	0
2	also show each event results forRussia	6	5	7	18
Men's 20km Walk		1	0	0
Men's 4 x 400m Relay		0	0	1
Men's 50km Walk		0	0	1
Men's High Jump		1	0	1
Men's Pole Vault		0	1	0
Women's 20km Walk		1	0	0
Women's 3000m Steeplechase		1	0	1
Women's 4 x 100m Relay		1	0	0
Women's 4 x 400m Relay		0	1	0
Women's Heptathlon		0	0	1
Women's High Jump		0	0	1
Women's Javelin Throw		0	1	0
Women's Long Jump		0	1	0
Women's Pole Vault		1	0	1
Women's Triple Jump		0	1	0
3	also show each event results forJamaica	6	3	2	11
Men's 100m		1	0	0
Men's 200m		1	0	0
Men's 4 x 100m Relay		1	0	0
Women's 100m		1	2	0
Women's 200m		1	0	1
Women's 400m		0	1	0
Women's 400m Hurdles		1	0	0
Women's 4 x 400m Relay		0	0	1
4	also show each event results forKenya	5	5	4	14
Men's 10000m		0	0	1
Men's 1500m		0	1	0
Men's 3000m Steeplechase		1	0	1
Men's 5000m		0	1	1
Men's 800m		1	0	1
Men's Marathon		1	0	0
Women's 1500m		1	0	0
Women's 3000m Steeplechase		0	1	0
Women's 800m		1	1	0
Women's Marathon		0	1	0
5	also show each event results forEthiopia	4	1	2	7
Men's 10000m		1	1	0
Men's 5000m		1	0	0
Men's Marathon		0	0	1
Women's 10000m		1	0	0
Women's 5000m		1	0	1
6	also show each event results forBelarus	1	3	3	7
Men's Decathlon		0	1	0
Men's Hammer Throw		0	1	1
Men's Shot Put		0	0	1
Women's Hammer Throw		1	0	0
Women's Shot Put		0	1	1
7	also show each event results forCuba	1	2	2	5
Men's 110m Hurdles		1	0	0
Men's Decathlon		0	0	1
Men's Long Jump		0	0	1
Women's Discus Throw		0	1	0
Women's Hammer Throw		0	1	0
8	also show each event results forAustralia	1	2	1	4
Men's 20km Walk		0	0	1
Men's 50km Walk		0	1	0
Men's Pole Vault		1	0	0
Women's 100m Hurdles		0	1	0
9	also show each event results forGreat Britain	1	2	1	4
Men's High Jump		0	1	0
Men's Triple Jump		0	1	0
Women's 400m		1	0	0
Women's 400m Hurdles		0	0	1
10	also show each event results forUkraine	1	1	3	5
Men's Pole Vault		0	0	1
Women's 1500m		0	1	1
Women's Discus Throw		0	0	1
Women's Heptathlon		1	0	0
11	also show each event results forBelgium	1	1	0	2
Women's 4 x 100m Relay		0	1	0
Women's High Jump		1	0	0
12	also show each event results forNorway	1	1	0	2
Men's Javelin Throw		1	0	0
Women's 20km Walk		0	1	0
13	also show each event results forPoland	1	1	0	2
Men's Discus Throw		0	1	0
Men's Shot Put		1	0	0
14	also show each event results forItaly	1	0	1	2
Men's 50km Walk		1	0	0
Women's 20km Walk		0	0	1
15	also show each event results forNew Zealand	1	0	1	2
Men's 1500m		0	0	1
Women's Shot Put		1	0	0
16	also show each event results forBahrain	1	0	0	1
Men's 1500m		1	0	0
17	also show each event results forBrazil	1	0	0	1
Women's Long Jump		1	0	0
18	also show each event results forCameroon	1	0	0	1
Women's Triple Jump		1	0	0
19	also show each event results forCzech Republic	1	0	0	1
Women's Javelin Throw		1	0	0
20	also show each event results forEstonia	1	0	0	1
Men's Discus Throw		1	0	0
21	also show each event results forPanama	1	0	0	1
Men's Long Jump		1	0	0
22	also show each event results forPortugal	1	0	0	1
Men's Triple Jump		1	0	0
23	also show each event results forRomania	1	0	0	1
Women's Marathon		1	0	0
24	also show each event results forSlovenia	1	0	0	1
Men's Hammer Throw		1	0	0
25	also show each event results forTrinidad & Tob	0	2	0	2
Men's 100m		0	1	0
Men's 4 x 100m Relay		0	1	0
26	also show each event results forTurkey	0	2	0	2
Women's 10000m		0	1	0
Women's 5000m		0	1	0
27	also show each event results forBahamas	0	1	1	2
Men's 4 x 400m Relay		0	1	0
Men's Triple Jump		0	0	1
28	also show each event results forMorocco	0	1	1	2
Men's Marathon		0	1	0
Women's 800m		0	0	1
29	also show each event results forCroatia	0	1	0	1
Women's High Jump		0	1	0
30	also show each event results forEcuador	0	1	0	1
Men's 20km Walk		0	1	0
31	also show each event results forFrance	0	1	0	1
Men's 3000m Steeplechase		0	1	0
32	also show each event results forLatvia	0	1	0	1
Men's Javelin Throw		0	1	0
33	also show each event results forSouth Africa	0	1	0	1
Men's Long Jump		0	1	0
34	also show each event results forSudan	0	1	0	1
Men's 800m		0	1	0
35	also show each event results forChina	0	0	2	2
Women's Hammer Throw		0	0	1
Women's Marathon		0	0	1
36	also show each event results forNigeria	0	0	2	2
Women's 4 x 100m Relay		0	0	1
Women's Long Jump		0	0	1
37	also show each event results forCanada	0	0	1	1
Women's 100m Hurdles		0	0	1
38	also show each event results forFinland	0	0	1	1
Men's Javelin Throw		0	0	1
39	also show each event results forGermany	0	0	1	1
Women's Javelin Throw		0	0	1
40	also show each event results forGreece	0	0	1	1
Women's Triple Jump		0	0	1
41	also show each event results forJapan	0	0	1	1
Men's 4 x 100m Relay		0	0	1
42	also show each event results forLithuania	0	0	1	1
Men's Discus Throw		0	0	1

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Kiwi Vili claims gold in shot put

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